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MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA "American Gangster" "Atonement" "Eastern Promises" "The Great Debaters" "Michael Clayton” "No Country For Old Men" "There Will Be Blood” Alissa’s thoughts: This is a fairly good list. I don’t think American Gangster is in the same echelon of No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood (which I haven’t seen, but as you know, is getting wildly, rabidly great reviews, and I don't think P.T. Anderson can ever make a bad movie). I haven’t seen Atonement, but I get the impression that it's just a notch below those two as well. Eastern Promises is too bloody of a film to win, but it was absolutely brilliant. And what is The Great Debaters doing on this list? Is it because Denzel Washington directed it, or is it really good? Has anyone seen it yet? PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA Cate Blanchett - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" Julie Christie - "Away From Her" Jodie Foster - "The Brave One" Angelina Jolie - "A Mighty Heart" Keira Knightley - "Atonement" Alissa’s thoughts: I don’t have any comments here, as the only one of these that I’ve actually seen was Away From Her. I wasn’t in love with the movie, but Julie Christie was good. She is such a lauded actress that I’m not surprised she’s on this list. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA George Clooney - "Michael Clayton" Daniel Day-Lewis - "There Will Be Blood" James McAvoy - "Atonement" Viggo Mortensen - "Eastern Promises" Denzel Washington - "American Gangster" Alissa’s thoughts: Okay, Viggo Mortensen’s performance was pure genius, but I have heard Daniel Day-Lewis compared to Lawrence Olivier, so I’m withholding judgement. Surprised about James McAvoy. MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL "Across The Universe" "Charlie Wilson’s War" "Hairspray" "Juno" "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Alissa’s thought: Across the Universe was easily one of the worst films I saw this year. What on earth is it doing on this list? I think Once could have easily taken its place. Also, I wasn’t aware that Charlie Wilson’s War was classed as a comedy. Good to know. My favorite of the films I’ve seen in this category so far was Juno (I reviewed it this week, read it here), but I am convinced from early reviews that Sweeney Todd will not only be one of the best of the year, but that it richly deserves to win in this category. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL Amy Adams - "Enchanted" Nikki Blonsky - "Hairspray" Helena Bonham Carter - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Marion Cotillard - "La Vie en rose" Ellen Page - "Juno" Alissa’s thoughts: I haven’t seen Enchanted, Sweeney Todd, or La Vie en rose, yet, but I can say that Ellen Page’s performance in Juno is career-making. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL Johnny Depp - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Ryan Gosling - "Lars And The Real Girl" Tom Hanks - "Charlie Wilson’s War" Philip Seymour Hoffman - "The Savages" John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Alissa’s thoughts: I am laughing about John C. Reilley. I thought Philip Seymour Hoffman was great in The Savages (and everything else he does), but I didn’t really think it was a comedy. I also missed Lars and the Real Girl, but judging from reviews, I think this will be a coin toss between Johnny Depp and Ryan Gosling. ANIMATED FEATURE FILM "Bee Movie" "Ratatouille" "The Simpsons Movie" Alissa’s thoughts: Should there be any contest here at all? Ratatouille was not only the best animated film of the year, but one of the best films of the year. FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM "4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days" (Romania) "The Diving Bell And The Butterfly" (France And USA) "The Kite Runner" (USA) "Lust, Caution" (Taiwan) "Persepolis" (France) Alissa’s thoughts: Now you’re talking. This is a great list. I missed my screening of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, but I’m hoping to see it soon. I hear wonderful things about Persepolis. I don’t think Lust, Caution will win – it did garner an NC-17 rating, and that’s just not easy to market – but you know my thoughts on The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and if it wins, it's richly deserved. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE Cate Blanchett - "I’m Not There" Julia Roberts - "Charlie Wilson’S War" Saoirse Ronan - "Atonement" Amy Ryan - "Gone Baby Gone" Tilda Swinton - "Michael Clayton" Alissa’s thoughts: This will go to Amy Ryan, and she deserves it. I think Cate Blanchett does as well, but I’m Not There wasn’t as much of a critical favorite as they expected. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE Casey Affleck - "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford" Javier Bardem - "No Country For Old Men" Philip Seymour Hoffman - "Charlie Wilson’s War" John Travolta - "Hairspray" Tom Wilkinson - "Michael Clayton" Alissa’s thoughts: Excellent picks. All of these performances were outstanding, but Tom Wilkinson was my favorite (and not just because he shares his name with my husband). DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE Tim Burton - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - "No Country For Old Men" Julian Schnabel - "The Diving Bell And The Butterfly" Ridley Scott - "American Gangster" Joe Wright - "Atonement" Alissa’s thoughts: Where is David Cronenberg here? And P.T. Anderson? This should probably be the Coens. SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE Diablo Cody - "Juno" Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - "No Country For Old Men" Christopher Hampton - "Atonement" Ronald Harwood - "The Diving Bell And The Butterfly" Aaron Sorkin - "Charlie Wilson’s War" Alissa’s thoughts: This is really tough. They’re all pretty good, though I think I’ve heard that Atonement falls flat when compared with the book (which I read this year and was absolutely floored). Juno is witty and great, but I think this might just go to the Coens again, and deservedly. ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder - "Into The Wild" Clint Eastwood - "Grace Is Gone" Alberto Iglesias - "The Kite Runner" Dario Marianelli - "Atonement" Howard Shore - "Eastern Promises" Alissa’s thoughts: I’m not a huge Howard Shore fan, but I really liked his score. I haven’t seen several of these. I wonder if Clint Eastwood is too big of a name to ignore, though. I’m quitting here, because I don’t watch TV. What are your thoughts? |
Comments
Thanks for your user-friendly guide to the Golden Globes. With the WGA strike dominating the entertainment news out here (the LA Times has a major piece on it just about every day), there's a bigger story than the nominations, and that's whether or not the actors will "cross" the line and appear at the televised event next month. Evidently the WGA still needs to decide whether or not the popular awards show should receive an exemption, meaning that striking writers could write for the sympathetic presenters. Talk about drama!
You and Nate are my new favorite movie reviewers, having passed Kenneth Turan. I now have a checklist for my holiday viewing schedule.
I do have a question about the nominating process for these Golden Globe Awards. Isn't it true that there are fewer than 100 people who belong to the "Foreign Press Association" or whatever it's called, and this small group of people make the nominations? Are they well qualified movie critics, or just movie fans with lots of clout?
My husband works in movie production, and so I can say with confidence that the WGA strike is just about as big news in New York as it is in LA! Mostly because of all the TV networks, but there's a lot of movie shoots here all the time, and a fair amount of the population is employed by the entertainment industry. We're pretty supportive because we've seen what goes on "behind the scenes", both in his work and through friends. But I digress.
It is true, indeed, that it's a small group of people. Small, but powerful. If you take a look at goldenglobes.com and follow the bunny trail, you can see that the members are mostly nationally-read journalists residing in southern California whose work have a significant circulation and who are sponsored by two existing members of the HFPA. That's similar to how people get into a lot of the entertainment unions - I'm thinking specifically of the Director's Guild (DGA), which requires that you reside in the US, rack up a certain number of hours on union projects, and have three DGA members sponsor you in.
I know the Academy is an entirely different and somewhat more random group of people affiliated with the industry, which is probably why the Golden Globes (just journalists) tend to have better nominees/winners (in my humble opinon). The Academy has a much more "populist" taste, for lack of a better word. But having the Academy give awards in Hollywood is a lot like them congratulating themselves (and Jon Stewart ruffled a few feathers when he said as much) - another reason the Golden Globes are quite different.
Well, from the perspective of a spectator, the Golden Globes are certainly more fun to watch on television than the Academy Awards. There seems to be less pretense (you hit the "self-congratulatory" nail right on the head), and it's almost as if we're just seeing these people being themselves (at least as much as rich and famous people can be themselves).
Thanks for the the information on who the Golden Globe nominators are. Sounds like a sweet gig.
Ratatouille was an awesome movie. I hope it wins.